Identification method and means



Sept. 11 1923.

' M. TIB'BETTS IDENTIFICATION METHOD AND MEANS Filed Feb. 21 1920 VA l Patented Sept. Il, 1923.

UNITED STATES I 1,461,961 PATENT,- oFFlcE.

MILTON TIBBETTS, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, .ASSIGNOR TO PACKARD MOTOR CAR COMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

. JIDENTIFICA'LION METHOD AND MEANS.

Application led February 21, 1920. Serial No. 360,367.

Toall whomz'tmay concern. A

Be it known that I, MILTON TIBBETTS, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Detroit, Wayne County, State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful'Imp/ovements in Identification Methods and cans, of which the following is'al specification.

This invention relates to identification methods and means and more particularly to identification methods and' means for metal articles.

One of the reasons for the prevailing high loss of motor vehicles by theft is the lack of an unalterable identification means for the vehicles. Most numbering systems for` vehicles consist of stamping the' number on -a raised boss on the cylinder or crank case casting of Ithe motor and sometimes a similar stamping on the vehicle frame. These are easily filed off and a new number substituted thus destroying all means of identification. The present invention -has for its salient object to provide a system or method of marking articles such 'asmotor vehicles for identification in such manner that no alteration can be made without destroying the article itself or the' portlon thereof on which the marking is done.

Another object of the invention is to provide identification means so constructed that any attempt, at alteration may beV easily and quickly detected.

' Another object' of the invention is toV provide an identification system that will readily lend itself to expansion, thereby giving a large range of identification characters or marks.

Another object of the invention is to provide a marking method of the above type that may be commercially apphed to metal articles.

Other objects and advantages w1ll appear vfrom the following description taken 1n connection with the drawings which form a part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is an enlargeui detail .vlew illustratin in perspective and in section a metal artlcle having my improved identification system thereon;

Figure 2 is a plan View illustratmgrthe invention as applied to a web of the crank case of a motor; and

Figures 3 and 4 are detail sectional views illustrating another form of the invention.

Vgrooves 24, the

The invention is a method and means for marking articles for identification and the method consists, brieiiy, in forming identifylng symbols or marks such as numbers on one face of the article and removing the material of the article at a point corresponding to one of the symbols. In carry ing it out farther-,2a plurality of series of bols are used and the o nings are c osed by a plate or by expanslon4 plugs or otherwise.

'fhe identifying number of the article is determined by the formerly numbered spaces left by cutting away certain of the numbers,A and' it is practically impossible for lone wishing to alter the number to fill up the space and cuft away another number because the plugged opening could be easily identified.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the invention has been illustrated in connectlon with a portion of the crank case of a hydrocarbon motor, the crank case 20 being provlded with a laterally extending web or flange 21 secured to a motor vehicle frame member 22, the frame member formlng a support for the motor. The crank case is usually an aluminum;7 casting although the invention is adapted for use in connection with castings formed' of other metal and it should also be understood that theinvention may be applied to any other metal or wood part of the vehicle if desired. As illustratedin the drawings the web 21 of the crank ease is rovided with a pluralityof longitudinaly and transversely extending intersecting ribs 23 upon its upper surface and on its under surface with a plurality of longitudinally extending grooves being vertically alined with the ribs formed on the upper surface. These ribs form on the castl a pluralit of lcompartments 25, the upper surface ta 'n the form of a checker board having longitudinally and transversely alined' sections or compartments. As many of these longitudinal rows of compartments may be formed as desired and at the top and bottom or all around the outside there should preferably be one or two additional ribs as at 26 so that a. complete row of compartments could not be obliterated without tification mark or symbol 27, preferably a numeral, the numerals being arranged consecutively from the left to the right, startin with 0, the compartments of eachrow being numbered 0, l, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 as illustrated. The corresponding numerals of each series are disposed in alinement with each other or one below the other, or in other words each of the left hand compartments contains the mark 0, each 'of the second compartments the mark 1, etc.

As illustrated in the drawings the numerals disposed in the compartments are raised from the main surface of the casting but it should be understood that they may be cut out or formed' in any other desired manner.

When a motor is to be given a serial 'number by whieh it will be thereafter 25 known one identification markV or numeral from each series will be removed from the' casting andthis may be done by means of drilling out or cutting or otherwise removing the numeral or some of the material in the compartment of the casting upon which the numeral is formed to thus indicate a particular numeral. Referring to Figures 1 and 2 it will be seen that the numeral 0 has .been drilled out 'of the first row as shown at 28, the numeral 2 in the second row has been drilled out and the numeral 1 in the third'row, thus identifying the motor as number O21 if three rows only are used. After the desired numbers have been removed from the various series or rows, the

openings formed bythe drilling' out may be closed .by means of a relatively thin plate 29 hsecured to the under surface of the casting as by means of screws 30. It should be understood, however, that it is not necessary to cut all ythe way through the casting upon which the marks are formed, and

also that other forms of` closures for the openings may be used. Referring to Figure 2, there are six rows of compartments and six series of numerals, and the numerals 0-2159-4 have been drilled out so that the motor is known as No. 021594.

In Figures 3 and 4 I have illustrated-an- I other means of closing'the openings. In

this f orm the drilling 1s done by two sizes of drills so that a shoulder 31 is formed in I the casting. Then a sheet metal plug 32 of dished or somewhat spherical form as shown in Figure 3 is placed against the shoulder and pressed or hammered until it is flattened out as shown in Figure 4. It/s sharp edge has embedded itself'i'n the material/of the casting and it cannot be removed without breaking the edges 'of the casting and thereby making it diiiicult if not impossible to hide an attempt at alteration.

Another method of carrying out the invention is to remove all but one of the numerals from each series instead of removing oneinumeral only from each series as shown. y l

The difficulties attendant upon an attempt to alter the number or designation of an article inarked according to this invention are numerousand obvious. To change one numeral only it would be necessary to plug up the cut out compartment and then drill or cut out another. But a wire brush run over the under side of the casting would at once show up the plug even if it were scribed, it will be understood that various changes .and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as expressed in the followin claims. I

hat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A method of marking metal articles for identification consisting in forming identifyingvsymbols on one face of the article, removing one of said symbols by cutting through the article, and covering the opening so made.

2. A method of marking metal articles for identification consisting in forming identifying symbols on one face of the article, removing one of said symbols b ting through the article, and eXpan ing a disk within the openingso made.

3. A method of marking metal articles for identilication consisting in forming a plurality of series of identifying symbols as. an integral part of the article, cutting through the article at a single point in each series, and closing the opening nade by the cutting.

4. A method of marking articles for identificationconsisting in forming a plu rality of series of identifying symbols on the article, removing the material of the `article at a point in each series corresponding to a symbol thereof, and closing the opening made by such removal.

45. A method of marking. articles for identification consisting in forming a plurality of series of identifying lsymbols on the article, removing the material of the article at a point in each series corresponding to a symbol thereof, and covering the opening made by such removal with a different material.

6. A method of marking articles for identification which consists of providing a plurality of intersecting ribson one surface of the article and corresponding grooves alined with the ribs and disposed on the other surface of the article, the ribs forming compartments, providing a plurality of series of consecutive numbers'in said compartments, and removing one number from each series.

7. A metal article having a plurality of series of consecutive numbers formed upon one surface, certain numbers from each series being removed, and the portion of the Varticle upon which the removed numbers were formed being removed, and means for closing the openings so formed.

8. A metal article having a plurality of series of consecutive numbers formed upon one surface, certain numbers from each series being removed, and the portion of the article upon which the removed numbers were formed being removed, and a plate secured to the other surface for closing the openings so formed.

9. A metal article having a plurality of series of consecutive numbers, certain of the numbers and portions of the article on which the numbers are formed bein removed, and expansion plugs for closing t e openings so formed.

10. A method of marking metal articles which consists of forming a plurality of series of consecutive raised identification marks, surroundingeach mark by a 'raised partition, and removing one mark from each series and also removing the portions of the article upon which the marks are formed. p

11. A method of marking articles for identification which consists of forming a plurality of compartments separated by raised partitions, providinga plurality of sets of consecutive raised identification marks in said compartments, and removin certain of the marks from each series an the portions of the compartments u on which the marks are formed, the identi cation being established by the spaces formed by removing the marks.

12. A method of marking articles for identification which consists of forming a plurality of compartments by means of raised partitions, roviding a plurality of sets of consecutive y arranged identification marks in said compartments, forming a plurality of grooves on the opposite surface of the article from that upon which the partitions are formed and in alinement with said partitions, and removing one identification mark from each set of marks by removing the portion of the article upon which the mark is carried. n

13. A casting having identification means comprising a plurality of compartments surrounded by raised partitions, a plurality of series of consecutively arranged identification marks disposed in said compartments, one 4compartment in each series having its identification mark and the portion of the article upon which the mark is formed removed whereby the identification of the article may be established by the spaces formed in the compartments.

14. A castin having identification means comprising a p urality of compartments surrounded by raised partitions, a plurality of series of integral consecutively arranged identificationmarks disposed in said compartments, one compartment in each series having its identification mark and the portion of the article upon which the mark is formed removed whereby the identification of the article may be established by the spaces formed in the compartments.

15. A castin having identification means comprising a p urality of compartments surrounded by raised partitions, a plurality of series of consecutively arranged identification marks formed on the article in said compartments, certain of said compartments having their, identification marks and the portion of the article upon which the marks are formed drilled out to remove the marks.

16. A casting havin a plurality of grooves on its under sur ace and a plurality of ribs upon its upper surface, a plurality of consecutivel arranged identification marks positione between said ribs, and certain of said identification marks and the portions of the article supporting said marks being removed whereby the article may be identified by the spaces so formed.

17. A casting havin a plurality 'of grooves on its under sur ace and a plurality Vof ribs upon its upper surface, said ribs intersecting` to form compartments, a plurality of sets of consecutively arranged raised identification marks formed on the article and located in said compartments, one mark in each set being removed and the portion of the article upon which the mark is located also being removed, the said grooves being located in a position beneath the ribs.n

18. A metal article having identification means thereon comprising oa checkerboard having numerals in the checked spaces and having additional markings around the edge of the checkerboard, and a numeral removed from each row of the checkerboard.

19. A metal articleyhaving identification means thereon comprisin a checkerboard having numerals in the c ecked spaces and having additional markings along two of the outer edges of the checkerboard, and a numeral removed from each row of the checkerboard.

In testimony whereof I aix my si ature.

MILTON TIBBEg'llTS.

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